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GM Friday Mid Afternoon, June 3rd Starbase Coffee Southside A blend of pleasant coffee aroma swirled in the air. It was hot outside, and a pervasive kind of dustiness filled the air, a precipitation of pollution and sweat. Nobody was feeling very energetic, despite the caffeine. And at this time of afternoon it was never that busy. And today it seemed positively quiet. A trickle of the tired, a line of lethargic. Jack Longwheel ordered his coffee. It was full of cream and milk, and Jack Longwheel did not mind. He had given up trying to control his ever expanding waistline years ago. Jack Longwheel was a hack. He covered gossip and covered corruption. Neither of these topics had earned him many friends. It had earned him money, and a lot of fines. Most recently, he had been nearly broken by publishing accusations on Neutron Industries unclean energy. Accusations that were, all agreed, probably true, but unproven. He was a regular, Jack. A cynical man in his fifties who knew too much but like a dog with a red rag, couldn't quite let go. He knew "Buffy" stein. Every friday, like clockwork, about this hour. "The regular, ma'am. And a one way ticket to Hell on the side please..." he sighed. "God the things I hear...." he mumbled under his breath. "I'd Jack your Job in and sail to Hawaii, if I was you. Don't want to be stuck in Freedom City this weekend!" he said. He wiped his brow. Rotund as he was, Jack Longwheel did not normal have cold anxious sweat. He did today.

Wakaya Island, Fiji Friday October 25, 2013; 11:33 AM local time (Freedom City time: 7:33 PM (Thursday October 24, 2013)) The late morning sun shone brightly in the sky over the small Fijian island of Wakaya. With the "cool" season coming toward an end, the day was turning out to be pleasantly warm, the temperature already approaching eighty degrees. Megan Howell glided through the water of the large infinity pool located on the spacious main deck of the large compound situated on the highest point of Wakaya. Dubbed Rai Ki Wai, Megan and Robert Howell had acquired the property a little over a month ago at a rather reasonable price, considering the size and quality of the property. This last week had been their first real chance to enjoy their new vacation home, other than a four day weekend back at the end of September. The decision to purchase the property with Robert had felt like something of a major move for the young woman. After all, it had only been about seven or so months since they had renewed their relationship, after nearly a year apart. Of course, Megan blamed that year apart on her on mishandling of things in regard to her identity as the superheroine Velocity. If she had not kept that a secret from Robert while they had been at Cambridge together, she was rather certain they would have recently celebrated two years together. Of course, the decision to purchase Rai Ki Wai together had also been made a bit easier by the knowledge that, at least in some timelines, she and Robert married. But that knowledge also came with the burden of knowing that in a number of those timelines (and perhaps even others where they did not marry), they had a son that would develop terrible powers. That possibility had made Megan consider not reconciling with Robert when he had initially indicated his desire to do so. But discussing the issue with a few fellow members of the Freedom League and their allies in the superhero community in Freedom City had convinced her otherwise. As she neared one of the stairs from the pool, the young blonde woman put her feet back under her, touching the bottom of the pool and standing back up out of the water slightly as she walked the rest of the way and up the stairs to the polished teak deck. Picking up a towel she had left nearby, Megan began to dry herself off as she made her way across the deck towards a row of lounge chairs overlooking the ocean. Seated in one of the chairs was Robert, the young English lord apparently in the process of making more edits to a paper he was to be presenting early next month at some scientific society he belonged to back in England. Unable to stop herself from smiling slightly, Megan moved over to take a perch at the edge of the chair beside him, running the fingers of one hand through his short blond hair. "You know, you have a long plane ride home early next week, not to mention several days once your back, to finish that up." She stated with a grin.